System and method for supporting video processing load balancing for user account management in a computing environment

ABSTRACT

A system and method can support user account management in a computing environment. The computing environment can include a video encoding pool to support load balancing and a managing server, such as a privileged account manager server. The video encoding pool includes a set of nodes that are able to perform one or more video processing tasks for another node. Furthermore, the managing server can receive a request from a managed node in the computing environment for delegating a video processing task, and can select one or more nodes from the video encoding pool to load babalance and to perform the video processing task.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/494,738, filed Sep. 24, 2014, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FORSUPPORTING VIDEO PROCESSING LOAD BALANCING FOR USER ACCOUNT MANAGEMENTIN A COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT” (ORACL-05560US1) which application isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All of whichapplications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to the following patents and patentapplications which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties:

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/494,728, filed Sep. 24, 2014entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING VISUAL SESSION RECORDING FORUSER ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT IN A COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT”, (ORACL-05558US0);

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/494,732, filed Sep. 24, 2014entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING POLICIES TO SUPPORT SESSIONRECORDING FOR USER ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT IN A COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT”,(ORACL-05559US0); and

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/494,737, field Sep. 24, 2014,entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING DYNAMIC OFFLOADING OF VIDEOPROCESSING FOR USER ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT IN A COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT”,(ORACL-05560US0).

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is generally related to computer systems, and isparticularly related to user account management in a computingenvironment.

BACKGROUND

As the enterprise/cloud applications and systems become more complex,the task of preventing inappropriate access to various user accounts andthe task of detecting unauthorized activities by many different usersbecome extremely challenging. This is the general area that embodimentsof the invention are intended to address.

SUMMARY

Described herein are systems and methods that can support user accountmanagement in a computing environment. The computing environment caninclude a video encoding pool to support load balancing and a managingserver, such as a privileged account manager server. The video encodingpool includes a set of nodes that are able to perform one or more videoprocessing tasks for another node. Furthermore, the managing server canreceive a request from a managed node in the computing environment fordelegating a video processing task, and can select one or more nodesfrom the video encoding pool to load babalance and to perform the videoprocessing task.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows an illustration of an account management system in acomputing environment, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 shows an illustration of supporting user session monitoring in acomputing environment, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3 shows an illustration of supporting visual session recording in acomputing environment, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 4 shows an illustration of dynamically offloading a videoprocessing task in a computing environment, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary flow chart for dynamically offloading avideo processing task in a computing environment, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows an illustration of using a video processing pool to supportload-balancing in a computing environment, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 shows an illustration of supporting load balancing via a hub in acomputing environment, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 8 shows an illustration of supporting load balancing with directinter-node communication in a computing environment, in accordance withan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 shows an illustration of using a hybrid model to perform a videoprocessing task in a computing environment, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary flow chart for using a video processingpool to support load-balancing in a computing environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention is illustrated, by way of example and not by way oflimitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which likereferences indicate similar elements. It should be noted that referencesto “an” or “one” or “some” embodiment(s) in this disclosure are notnecessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at leastone.

The description of the invention as following uses the Oracle PrivilegedAccount Manager (OPAM) system as an example for a user accountmanagement system. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatother types of user account management system can be used withoutlimitation.

Described herein are systems and methods that can support user accountmanagement in a computing environment.

Privileged Account Manager

FIG. 1 shows an illustration of an account management system in acomputing environment, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. As shown in FIG. 1, an account manager, such as a privilegedaccount manager 101, can monitor and record user sessions (e.g. by users131-132) on one or more target systems 111-112 in a computingenvironment 100.

The privileged account manager 101, e.g. an Oracle Privileged AccountManager (OPAM), is a server that is capable of managing privilegedaccounts and user sessions on the target systems 111-112. The privilegedaccount, such as a root account in a UNIX system or a system account ina database system, can be shared by multiple users 131-132 and can alsobe role-based.

The target systems 111-112 are the remote targets, which have privilegedaccounts managed by the privileged account manager 101. The privilegedaccount manager 101 can manage different types of user sessions on thetarget systems 111-112. For example, these user sessions can includeMicrosoft Windows sessions, Linux X11 sessions, virtual networkcomputing (VNC) sessions, and Mac OS X remote desktop sessions.

As shown in FIG. 1, an agent 121 can be deployed on a target system 111for monitoring one or more user sessions on the target system 111. Theagent 121 can record user activities within a user session andcommunicates with the privileged account manager 101 (e.g. for obtainingscreen comparison rules and sending back recorded data).

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the agent 121 can bephysically deployed on the target system 111. The agent 121 cansubscribe to a graphical user interface (GUI) rendering system, such asthe windowing system, on the target system 111 to obtain variousapplication GUI state information, such as the title of the window forthe active application in the foreground. Furthermore, the agent 121 cancommunicate with the privileged account manager 101 using a securechannel 120, e.g. based on the secure shell (SSH)/transport layersecurity (TLS) protocols.

Alternatively, the privileged account manager 101 can take advantage ofa proxy server 110, which can monitor and record user sessions on thetarget systems 111-112. For example, the proxy server 110 can be used tocollect session information on the different target systems 111-112,such as textual information (e.g. the commands and key strokes) andvisual information (e.g. the graphical display and windows).

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the use of the proxyserver 110 can be beneficial, in terms of alleviating the life-cycleburden in maintaining different versions of the same software on a largenumber of servers, devices, and platforms, since the proxy server 110does not rely on the agent 121 that is deployed physically on a targetsystem 111.

On the other hand, the agent 121 and the proxy server 110 can monitorsaid one or more user sessions on the target system simultaneously. Asshown in FIG. 1, the agent 121 can be deployed on a sensitive system(e.g. the target system 111), which is also monitored by the proxyserver 110. Since the agent 121 is physically deployed on the targetsystem 111, the agent 121 can closely monitor the different user activesand collect more information than the proxy server 110.

Then, an administrator 130 can connect to the privileged account manager101 and perform various management tasks, such as view, search and auditthe recorded sessions, in order to prevent inappropriate access tovarious account and to detect unauthorized activities.

FIG. 2 shows an illustration of supporting user session monitoring in acomputing environment, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. As shown in FIG. 2, a privileged account manager 201, e.g. anOracle the Oracle Privileged Account Manager (OPAM), can be used formonitoring user sessions on a target system 202.

At step 1, a user 212 can connect to the privileged account manager 201(i.e. the server) and can send a request to the privileged accountmanager 201 for obtaining an access to a privileged account on thetarget system 202.

Upon receiving a request for accessing a privileged account from theuser 201, the privileged account manager 201 can provide the user 212with a password or a session. Then, the user 212 can access theprivileged account based on the received one-time passwords or directsessions. For example, the user 212 can obtain a session with graphicalinterface.

At step 2, the user 212 can connect to the target system 202 toestablish a session after obtaining access to the privileged account. Auser session may start as soon as a user 212 logs into the privilegedaccount on the target system 202, using the password or session providedby the privileged account manager 201.

Additionally, the access to the privileged account may not be availableafter the user 212 logs out from the privileged account on the targetsystem 202. The user session may end as soon as the user 212 logs outfrom the privileged account, at which time the user 212 relinquish itsright to access the privileged account and another user is allowed tolog in the privileged account.

At step 3, the agent 203 running on the target system 202, afterdetecting the establishment of a user session, can communicate withprivileged account manager 201 to obtain different policies orconfigurations, such as the screen comparison rules.

The agent 203 can capture and record various screens on the targetsystem 202 based on the screen comparison rules.

At step 4, the agent 203 can send the recorded data back to theprivileged account manager 201 for storage.

At step 5, the privileged account manager 201 can store the recordeddata in a database 210. For example, the database 210 can be an OPAMDatabase, which can be used for storing target information, user grants,policies and session recording data.

At step 6, the administrator 211 can connect to the privileged accountmanager 201 in order to view the recorded and/or ongoing sessions. Theadministrator 211 can review the recorded sessions, which are thecompleted user sessions after the user has already logged off. Also, theadministrator 211 can review an ongoing session when a user is stillusing the session. In the case of reviewing an ongoing session, theadministrator 211 may view the recording (in real time) as the sessionis ongoing in a fashion similar to a live record-replay (a.k.a. over theshoulder monitoring).

Visual Session Recording

FIG. 3 shows an illustration of supporting visual session recording in acomputing environment, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. As shown in FIG. 3, an account management system 300 cancapture a number of screen captures 301 (e.g. screen shots or snapshots)on a target system, e.g. using an agent on the target system or a proxyserver, during a user session.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the accountmanagement system 300 can record a subset of the screen captures 301,which includes only screen captures 302 that represent significantchanges during the user session, discarding the screen captures 304 thatare captured when the target system is considered idle.

Thus, the account management system 300 can optimize the usage ofprocessors, storage and network bandwidth.

Furthermore, the account management system 300 can encode the screencaptures 302, which are recorded and uncompressed images, into a video303 and stores the video 303 in a database, such as the OPAM database.The video 303 can be played back later in a fashion similar to a DVR.

Additionally, searchable textual metadata 305, which includesinformation about the activities, can also be recorded and providedalong with the video 303. Thus, an administrator of the accountmanagement system 300 can search through the collection of recordings(e.g. the video 303) to look for activities, such as sessions which ranInternet Explorer, Control Panel etc. This provides means to monitor,audit and perform forensic analysis on the target system.

Dynamically Offloading a Video Processing Task

FIG. 4 shows an illustration of dynamically offloading a videoprocessing task in a computing environment, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 4, a managing server, e.g.a privileged account manager server 401, can use an agent 403 formanaging a target system 402 in a computing environment 400.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the agent 403 (suchas an OPAM agent) running on the target system 402 can record variousactions in a user session 410 (e.g. a user logon-session). As shown inFIG. 4, the agent 403 can periodically capture and record a number ofscreen captures, such as the recorded and uncompressed images 404.

Furthermore, the user session recording mechanism, such as the OPAMwindows session recording system, involves processing the recorded anduncompressed images 404 and creating (or encoding) a video 406 for DVRlike play back.

As shown in FIG. 4, the agent 403 can initiate a video processing task405 (such as a video encoding task using a suitable video codec) on thetarget system 402, which encodes the recorded and uncompressed images404 into a video 406 (using a suitable video codec). Additionally, thevideo 406 can be augmented with textual (and other forms of) metadata,which can be used for searching specific patterns in the video 406 andfor combining various video segments.

After creating the video 406, the agent 403 can transmit the video 406to the privileged account manager server 401 (such as an OPAM Server).Then, the privileged account manager server 401 can store the video 406in a database 409 for distribution (e.g. allows an administrator 411 toreview the user session 410 in a DVR like fashion).

The video processing task 405 on the target system 402 can be aprocessor intensive operation that places a heavy load on the CPU andthe GPU (if available). Furthermore, the video encoding task 405 mayconsume a large amount of the memory, such as a random access memory(RAM), on the target system 402. Thus, the video encoding task 405 maypotentially downgrade the system performance of the target system 402 ina resource-constrained environment, where the video encoding 405 taskcompetes with other processes for resources, such as the CPU and thememory.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the video processingtask 405 can be offloaded to the privileged account manager server 401(e.g. the OPAM server system), instead of being performed on the targetsystem 402 (e.g. the windows session being recorded).

By delegating the video processing task 405 to the privileged accountmanager server 401, the target system 402 can reduce the resource usagefor performing the video processing task 405 on the target system 402.On the other hand, the target system 402 may need to transmit therecorded and uncompressed images 404 to the privileged account managerserver 401, which may potentially increase the consumption of thenetwork bandwidth.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, in order to optimizethe system performance, the dynamic offloading of the video processingtask 405 from the target system 402 to the privileged account managerserver 401 can be based on configurable thresholds, which controls theresource usage on the target system 402.

For example, the video processing task 405 can be dynamic offloaded fromthe target system 402 to the privileged account manager server 401, ifthe video processing 405 on the target system 401 exceeds a pre-definedCPU and memory usage threshold over a duration (or a period). Suchscenario may happen during peak periods, when a large number of windowsactivities are performed (which leads to a significant increase in videoprocessing load).

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, there are differentapproaches for estimating and modeling the video processing 405 load.For example, an OPAM Agent process on the managed end system (i.e. anode) can track the CPU and memory utilization by maintaining acontinuous moving average window.

Additionally, the thresholds and durations can be defined forcontrolling the resource usage on the target system 402. For example,the thresholds (or limits) for the CPU and memory usage, which areunique to each node, can be pre-calculated according to the hardwarecapability of the underlying node, during the system boot-up. Thus, thetarget system 402 can decide whether to offload the encoding taskelsewhere at runtime.

Furthermore, the privileged account manager server 401 can resume theperforming of the video processing task 407 and create the video 408,after the recorded and uncompressed images 404 are transmitted over thenetwork to the privileged account manager server 401. Then, theprivileged account manager server 401 can store the video 408 in adatabase 409 for distribution (e.g. allows an administrator 411 toreview the user session 410 in a DVR like fashion along with the video406).

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the video processingtask 407 can be switched back to the target system 402, when the volumeof the receiving data (including the recorded and uncompressed images404 transmitted from the target system 402) is observed being reduced toa low level (e.g. a level lower than the level when the offloadingstarts).

For example, the switch back of the video processing task 407 can happenafter the peak period has passed, and the session recording can beresumed with lower CPU usage on the target system 402.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary flow chart for dynamically offloading avideo processing task in a computing environment, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 5, at step 501, an agenton a target system can initiate a video processing task based on aplurality of user session screens recorded on the target system, whereinthe video processing task encodes the plurality of user session screensinto a video. Furthermore, at step 502, the agent can determine whethera resource usage for performing the video processing task on the targetsystem exceeds a threshold. Then, at step 503, the agent can dynamicallyoffload the video processing task to a managing server that operates tomanage the target system, if the resource usage for performing the videoprocessing task on the target system exceeds the threshold.

Intelligent Load-Balancing Using a Video Encoding Pool

FIG. 6 shows an illustration of using a video processing pool to supportload-balancing in a computing environment, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 6, a managing server 601,e.g. a privileged account manager server under the control of anadministrator 611, can manage one or more nodes, such as the nodes602-605 in a computing environment 600.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the managing server601 can intelligently balance the load for performing the videoprocessing tasks (e.g. the video encoding tasks), by distributing thevideo encoding tasks among the managing server 601 and the managed nodes602-605.

As shown in FIG. 6, the managing server 601 can take advantage of avideo encoding pool 640. The video encoding pool 640 contains a set ofnodes 603-605, each of which can be delegated by the managing server 601to perform the video encoding tasks for another node (e.g. the node602).

Furthermore, the dynamically-managed video encoding pool 640 can beconfigurable. For example, an administrator 611 can configure the nodes603-605 to be eligible for the video encoding pool 640.

Additionally, the nodes 603-605 in the video encoding pool 640 canpossess hardware capability beneficial to video encoding. For example,the nodes 603-605 in the video encoding pool 640 may have an on-boardgraphics processing unit (GPU) and/or a high clock-speed CPU, and mayhave a large capacity RAM with L2/L3 caches.

On the other hand, critical nodes (such as databases and web-servers),which perform critical tasks, may be excluded from the video encodingpool 640. Thus, the system can prevent these critical nodes frombecoming resource constrained when the video encoding tasks areperformed.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, different approachescan be used for estimating and modeling the load on a node. For example,an OPAM Agent process on the managed end system can track the CPU andmemory utilization by maintaining a continuous moving average. Athreshold (or a limit) can be used by the node to decide whether tooffload the encoding task to another node in the managed system.Additionally, the thresholds for the CPU and memory usage, which areunique to each node, can be pre-calculated during the system boot-up,according to the hardware capability of the node.

Furthermore, a multi-level model can be used to characterize the load oneach node. For example, a three-level model can be employed to include ahigh load state, a normal load state and a below-normal load state (e.g.based on the run-time CPU and memory usage estimations). Also, therun-time CPU and memory usage can be estimated using a confidenceinterval. For example, the three-level model can be based on aconfidence interval, which is constructed using a specific confidencelevel, such as a pre-configured value (e.g. at 95% accuracy).

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, when the estimatedload on the node 602 is in the high load state, the node 602 may decideto offload the video encoding task elsewhere. On the other hand, a nodein the video encoding pool 640 may be able to accept a task from anothernode, only when the load on the node is in the below-normal state.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the managing server601 can take advantage of an intelligent load-balancing algorithm, whichsupports a centralized dynamic load balancing scheme.

As shown in FIG. 6, the managing server 601, which acts as the masternode, can perform various pool management tasks, such as keeping trackof the node resources (i.e. CPU and memory utilization), providingadmission control of the nodes to the pool, performing the allocation ofencoding tasks to specific nodes, tracking the encoding tasks on thenodes and handling node failures. Thus, the managing server 601 canoptimize the resource usage, including the usage of CPU, memory andnetwork bandwidth.

Additionally, the managing server 601 can be enabled with the highavailability (HA)/replication features, which may serve as a guardagainst the single point of failure that affects the centrally managedload balancing scheme.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, each of the nodes603-605 in the video encoding pool 640 can monitor their CPU and memoryusage and periodically estimates the corresponding values (e.g. based onthe confidence interval). Furthermore, the nodes 603-605 in the encodingpool 640 can send information about their resource utilization (such asthe CPU, GPU and memory usage) to the managing server 601. In order toreduce the state-exchange overhead, such information can be sent onlywhen a state change (with regard to the resource utilization) occurs inthe node.

Additionally, the managing server 601 can maintain a record for eachnode, which indicates its resource usage. Also, the managing server 601can maintain the topology information for the geographic distribution ofthe nodes 602-605.

As shown in FIG. 6, when a managed node 602 (i.e. a targeted system)becomes resource constrained (e.g. when the node 602 is in a high loadstate), the managed node 602 may decide to offload the encoding task. Insuch a case, the managed node 602 can send a message to the managingserver 601, requesting for delegating the video encoding task to otheravailable node(s).

The managing server 601 can select a set of nodes, which are the mostappropriate candidates for performing the encoding task, from the videoencoding pool 640. This algorithm can be based on differentload-transfer policies, such as a threshold-based policy or a shortestroute/time policy. Additionally, the selected node set can be optimizedbased on the geographic distribution of the nodes such that the node setis selected to be as locally as possible.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the task schedulingalgorithm may prefer to move the video encoding tasks away from themanaging server 601. For example, in OPAM, the managed nodes 603-605 maybe given a higher priority, over the managing server 601, for acceptingtasks that are delegated to run on the OPAM Server.

The intelligent load balancing algorithm can be beneficial forefficiently performing various video processing tasks, when there areactually nodes in the video encoding pool 640. Otherwise, the videoencoding tasks may be executed only on the respective managed nodes orthe managing server 601, when there are no suitable nodes in the videoencoding pool 640.

For example, if the managing server 601 cannot find any suitable nodefrom the video encoding pool 640, the managing server 601 can become theencoding node itself (until it finds a proxy node). In such a case, thesource node 602 can send the recorded and uncompressed images 620 in auser session 610 to the managing server 601 and expects to receive anACK message for every N frames of recorded and uncompressed images 620being sent. The source node 602 may also maintain the N frames ofrecorded and uncompressed images 620 in a local cache, which is clearedupon receiving the ACK from the managing server 601.

The managing server 601 can re-initiate the search for a proxy nodeperiodically (or upon receiving the state-change messages from thepool), so that it can offload the video encoding to the video encodingpool 640. It continues offloading the encoding task until no new nodecan be found.

Furthermore, the originating source node 602, which may act as theencoding node, can move into a high load state. During a search, themanaging server 601 may be able to find a number (M) of suitable proxynodes in the video encoding pool 640. Thus, the recorded anduncompressed images 620 may be distributed to different numbers (e.g. [1. . . M]) of proxy nodes, depending on the input frame rate, K. Forexample, if the input frame rate, K, is larger than or equal to thenumber of available suitable proxy nodes, M, (i.e. K>=M), then theresource constrained node may not split the load further and can sendthe load to one of the new proxy nodes. Otherwise, if the input framerate, K, is less than the number of available suitable proxy nodes, M,(i.e. K<M), the load can be split among the M nodes.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the managing server601 can stitch the sequence of video segments together. In OPAM, theproxy nodes 603-605 can send metadata information, which may be used bythe OPAM Server to construct the final video 630, along with the encodedvideo segments.

Additionally, the managing server 601 can handle node and link failures,such as when the proxy encoding node fails, or when the link between thesource node and any proxy node or the link between the managing server601 and a proxy node fails.

FIG. 7 shows an illustration of supporting load balancing via a hub in acomputing environment, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. As shown in FIG. 7, a managing server 701, e.g. a privilegedaccount manager server, can manage one or more nodes, such as the nodes702-705 of a video encoding pool 740 in a computing environment 700.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the managing server701 can act as a hub for content traffic, when a security policy in thecomputing environment 700 prevents the managed nodes 702-705 fromcommunicating directly with each other.

As shown in FIG. 7, the source node 702 can communicate with themanaging server 701 and delegates the video encoding task to themanaging server 701. Then, the source node 702 can stop performing thevideo encoding task and starts sending the recorded and uncompressedimages 720 (i.e. the un-encoded screen captures in a user session 710)to the managing server 701.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the managing server701 can select one or more nodes 703-705 from the video encoding pool740 as proxies for performing the video encoding task.

For example, if the managing server 701 finds a number (e.g. M) of proxynodes in the video encoding pool 740, the managing server 701 can splitthe incoming stream from the originating node 702 and can send therecorded and uncompressed images 720 to these (M) proxy nodes, in astatic round-robin load balancing fashion. Thus, each of the M proxynodes may receive a frame every M time units, periodically (with eachtime unit separates two consecutive incoming frames).

Furthermore, the proxy nodes 703-705 can send an acknowledgment (ACK) tothe managing server 701 for confirming the receiving of the set ofimages. The managing server 701 can maintain, in a local cache, copiesof the recorded and uncompressed images 720 that are sent to the proxynodes 703-705. Then, the local cache on the managing server 701 can becleared upon receiving the ACK message from the respective proxyencoding nodes 703-705.

Thus, each proxy node can progressively encode the received images intoa sequence of video segments, which are sent back to the managing server701 separately. Then, the managing server 701 can construct thefull-video 730 by concatenating the video segments sequence togetherusing the video metadata information.

Additionally, when the managing server 701 acts as a hub, the managingserver 701 can detect the failure of a node or a link by monitoring thetimeout of the ACK that should be received from the differentparticipant proxy nodes.

When a failure happens, the managing server 701 can send a message tothe source node 702 to inspect if the source node 702 can perform thesub-task for the failed proxy node. If the source node 702 cannotperform the (sub-)task for the failed proxy node, the source node 702sends a message to the managing server 701 requesting for another proxy.Then, the managing server 701 can repeat the above process until a newproxy node is found.

FIG. 8 shows an illustration of supporting load balancing with directinter-node communication in a computing environment, in accordance withan embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 8, a managing server801, e.g. a privileged account manager server, can manage one or moremanaged nodes, such as the nodes 802-805 of a video encoding pool 840 ina computing environment 800.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the managing server801 can coordinate the distributing of the video encoding load, when thesecurity policy allows direct inter-node communication between thevarious managed nodes 802-805. For example, the managing server 801 cansend a message, which indicates the selected proxy nodes 803-804 in thevideo encoding pool 820, to the originating node 802.

Then, the originating node 802 can send the recorded and uncompressedimages 820 in a user session 810 to the proxy nodes 803-804 directly,using a static round-robin load balancing fashion. Thus, each selectedproxy node 803-804 can receive a frame from the originating node 802periodically (e.g. one frame every M time units when there are totally Mselected proxy nodes).

Furthermore, each proxy nodes 803-804 can send an acknowledgement (ACK)message to the originating source node 802, for confirming the receiptof the set of images. Additionally, the source node 802 can maintain, ina local cache, copies of the images that are sent to the proxy nodes803-804. Accordingly, the cache can be cleared upon receiving the ACKmessage from the respective proxy encoding nodes 803-804.

Then, each selected proxy node 803-804 can progressively encode thereceived images into a sequence of video segments, which are sent to themanaging server 801 directly. Then, the managing server 801 canconstruct the full-video 830 by concatenating this video sequencetogether.

Additionally, the source node 802 can detect a failure on a node (or alink) by monitoring the timeout of the ACK that should be received fromthe proxy encoding nodes 803-804.

The source node 802 can inspect its own resource usage to determinewhether it can perform the video processing task for a failed proxynode, since the source node 802 can communicate directly with the proxynodes 803-804. If the source node 802 cannot perform the sub-task fromthe failed proxy node, the source node 802 can send a message to themanaging server 801, requesting for another proxy node. The managingserver 801 can repeat the process until it successfully finds a proxynode (e.g. node 805).

FIG. 9 shows an illustration of using a hybrid model to perform a videoprocessing task in a computing environment, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 9, a managing server 901,e.g. a privileged account manager server, can manage one or more nodes,such as the nodes 902-905 in a computing environment 900.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a hybrid approach canbe used for performing the video processing task, when a security policyin the computing environment 900 allows only partial communicationbetween the various managed nodes 902-905.

For example, if the originating source node 902 is allowed tocommunicate with a number (L) of nodes out of the number (M) of nodes,the originating source node 902 can send the frames directly to each ofthe number (L) of nodes in the round-robin fashion. Additionally, theoriginating source node 902 can send the remaining traffic to the number(M-L) of nodes via the managing server 901, which acts as the hub.

As shown in FIG. 9, if the originating source node 902 is allowed tocommunicate with the nodes 903-904, the originating source node 902 cansend the frames directly to the nodes 903-904 in the round-robinfashion. Additionally, the originating source node 902 can send theremaining traffic to the node 905 through the managing server 901, whichacts as the hub.

Furthermore, each proxy node 903-905 can progressively encode thereceived images into a sequence of video segments, which are sent backto the managing server 901 separately. Then, the managing server 901 canconstruct the full-video 930 by concatenating the video sequencetogether.

Additionally, the source node 902 can detect a failure on a node or alink by monitoring the timeout of the ACK that should be received fromeach proxy node. For example, the source node 902 can receive an ACKmessage directly from the nodes 903-904, and can receive an ACK messagefrom the node 905 via the managing server 901.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary flow chart for using a video processingpool to support load-balancing in a computing environment. As shown inFIG. 10, at step 1001, the system can provide a video encoding pool inthe computing environment, wherein the video encoding pool includes aset of nodes that are able to perform one or more video processing tasksfor another node. Furthermore, at step 1002, a managing server in thecomputing environment can receive a request for delegating a videoprocessing task from a managed node. Then, at step 1003, the managingserver can select one or more nodes from the video encoding pool toperform the video processing task.

The present invention may be conveniently implemented using one or moreconventional general purpose or specialized digital computer, computingdevice, machine, or microprocessor, including one or more processors,memory and/or computer readable storage media programmed according tothe teachings of the present disclosure. Appropriate software coding canreadily be prepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of thepresent disclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the softwareart.

In some embodiments, the present invention includes a computer programproduct which is a storage medium or computer readable medium (media)having instructions stored thereon/in which can be used to program acomputer to perform any of the processes of the present invention. Thestorage medium can include, but is not limited to, any type of diskincluding floppy disks, optical discs, DVD, CD-ROMs, microdrive, andmagneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, DRAMs, VRAMs, flashmemory devices, magnetic or optical cards, nanosystems (includingmolecular memory ICs), or any type of media or device suitable forstoring instructions and/or data.

The foregoing description of the present invention has been provided forthe purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.Many modifications and variations will be apparent to the practitionerskilled in the art. The modifications and variations include anyrelevant combination of the disclosed features. The embodiments werechosen and described in order to best explain the principles of theinvention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilledin the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and withvarious modifications that are suited to the particular usecontemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be definedby the following claims and their equivalence.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for supporting user account managementin a computing environment, comprising: providing a video encoding poolin the computing environment, wherein the video encoding pool includes aset of nodes that are able to perform one or more video processing tasksfor another node; receiving, via a managing server in the computingenvironment, a request for delegating a video processing task from amanaged node; and selecting, via the managing server, one or more nodesfrom the video encoding pool to perform the video processing task. 2.The method according to claim 1, further comprising: allowing themanaging server to be a privileged account manager server.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising: allowing a user to connect toa privileged account manager server, get access to a privileged accounton the managed node, and establish a user session.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising: receiving, via the managingserver, resource usage information from each node in the video encodingpool, and maintaining, via the managing server, a record for each nodein the video encoding pool.
 5. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: detecting an establishment of a user session on the managednode.
 6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: capturinga plurality of user session screens associated with said user session onthe managed node at a predetermined interval.
 7. The method according toclaim 1, further comprising: receiving, via the managing server, arequest for delegating a video processing task from another managednode, where said another managed node is a node in the video encodingpool.
 8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: sending,via the managed node, a plurality of user session screens directly tothe selected nodes, if the managed node is allowed to communicatedirectly with the selected nodes.
 9. The method according to claim 1,further comprising: receiving, via the managing server, one or morevideos from the one or more selected nodes, after the video processingtask is performed.
 10. The method according to claim 9, furthercomprising: allowing the one or more videos to be associated with asearchable metadata.
 11. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: performing, via the managing server, the video processingtask if the managing server is not able to find a suitable node in thevideo encoding pool.
 12. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: using a hybrid approach to perform the video processingtask.
 13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:stitching, via the managing server, a sequence of videos together into avideo.
 14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: storing,via the managing server, a video, which results from performing thevideo processing task for one or more user sessions, to a database. 15.The method according to claim 14, further comprising: allowing anadministrator to replay the stored video to monitor said one or moreuser sessions.
 16. A system for supporting user account management in acomputing environment, comprising: one or more microprocessors; a videoencoding pool in the computing environment, wherein the video encodingpool includes a set of nodes that are able to perform one or more videoprocessing tasks for another node; and a managing server running on saidone or more microprocessors, that operates to receive a request fordelegating a video processing task from a managed node; and select oneor more nodes from the video encoding pool to perform the videoprocessing task.
 17. The system according to claim 16, wherein: themanaging server is a privileged account manager server.
 18. The systemaccording to claim 17, wherein: a user is allowed to connect to theprivileged account manager server, get access to a privileged account onthe managed node, and establish a user session.
 19. The system accordingto claim 16, wherein: the managing server operates to receive resourceusage information from each node in the video encoding pool, andmaintain a record for each node in the video encoding pool.
 20. Thesystem according to claim 16, wherein: the managing server operates todetect an establishment of a user session on the managed node.
 21. Thesystem according to claim 20, wherein: a plurality of user sessionscreens associated with said user session are captured on the managednode at a predetermined interval.
 22. The system according to claim 16,wherein: the managing server operates to receive a request fordelegating a video processing task from another managed node, where saidanother managed node is a node in the video encoding pool.
 23. Thesystem according to claim 16, wherein: the managed node operates to senda plurality of user session screens directly to the selected nodes, ifthe managed node is allowed to communicate directly with the selectednodes.
 24. The system according to claim 16, wherein: the managed nodeoperates to receive one or more videos from the one or more selectednodes, after the video processing task is performed.
 25. The systemaccording to claim 24, wherein: the one or more videos are associatedwith a searchable metadata.
 26. The system according to claim 16,wherein: the managed node operates to perform the video processing taskif the managing server is not able to find a suitable node in the videoencoding pool.
 27. The system according to claim 16, wherein: a hybridapproach is used to perform the video processing task.
 28. The systemaccording to claim 16, wherein: the managed node operates to stitch asequence of videos together into a video.
 29. The system according toclaim 16, wherein: the managing server operates to store the video to adatabase, and allows an administrator to replay the stored video formonitoring said one or more user sessions.
 30. A non-transitory machinereadable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that whenexecuted cause a system to perform the steps comprising: providing avideo encoding pool in the computing environment, wherein the videoencoding pool includes a set of nodes that are able to perform one ormore video processing tasks for another node; receiving, via a managingserver in the computing environment, a request for delegating a videoprocessing task from a managed node; and selecting, via the managingserver, one or more nodes from the video encoding pool to perform thevideo processing task.